What'd They Say About Misery?
by drizzt1031
Summary: AJ has been searching for Jake Greyman to help her with a problem. She hopes a fellow half-breed might understand. Is rated M for foul language and possible naughty endeavors. (Yea I know it's short but oh well.)
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is my little Demon Hunter story, which I tiptoed around doing a great deal, because… well for some reason I was shy on this. Go figure. It takes place after the events in the movie itself. I really do love Jake Greyman. Hope ya like it. **AN**

AJ sat tucked into her own body, her spine curled firmly against the wall behind her. Its cold bricks soaking their frigid nature into her skin, twisting and warping her warm body into a copy of its own inanimate proportions to better assimilate her into its side. She shivered spastically, her body still putting up a brave front against death by hypothermia. Her clothes were definitely ill sited for the brisk New Year.

Dark green leggings clung to her legs, the thin fabric offering little comfort. AJ snorted woefully at the numerous holes scattered throughout the cloth. Her long hanging shorts, clearly designed for a male twice her size, swung lazily in the brisk breeze about her knees. A dusty brown blazer, pulled tightly around her malnourished body was the only thing that even remotely protected her against the weather. Short locks of spikey purple hair stuck out around her ears. A couple stared at her through the tinted windows of their BMW as they drove by. She smirked at their offended expressions. She would have to remember to write a letter of apology for not being as well off as they were. Just as soon as she finally located a high-end stationary store with gold quill pens and diamond encrusted paper.

Rubbing her hands up and down her legs, she glanced passed the scantily clad woman to her right, who at the moment was plying her trade on the curb. AJ had been waiting for what seemed like forever for Him. The half-breed who worked for the church, though salvation would never be earned for his kind. Given his reputation, she couldn't hope for much help. Not in the traditional sense of the word anyways. Honestly she preferred it that way.

In the empty spaces, thickened with an unearthly awareness, she'd heard them whisper about Jake Greyman. Heartless and Cruel. Destroyer of his own kind. Pawn of the church. Where man was weakened by an incomprehensible desire to believe that souls can be saved, he knew when hope was to be abandoned and did what needed to be done. Those rumors told of a half-demon, half-human male who only recently executed several pregnant women, chosen as vessels for the blasphemous spawns of the demon Asmodeus. Perhaps the image of the cynical monster they painted was an exaggeration, a boogeyman for the nightmares, but it was enough for her to stake some use for.

AJ blew a warm breath through her frozen lips, and into the cradle made of her numb fingers. She sincerely hoped the stories were true. The last thing she needed was the pity of a bleeding heart believing she should be saved at all costs. Suffocating her with philosophy and choices. BLa. Bla. Bla. When she'd heard the first hints of Jake, she'd hunted down information on him, mostly where she could find him. After two months of eavesdropping, and generally keeping her ear to the ground (sometimes quite literally) she'd discovered where his loft was located and planted herself outside, waiting for his return.

In the time, it had taken her to find him, his infamy had grown exponentially. Somehow he had managed to wipe out an entire species of demon: the Murmine. Murmine, unable to breathe the air on their own, stole into children's rooms at night to steal their breath. The string of SIDS cases in a nearby neighborhood had come to a screeching halt after Greyman's interference. The slaying of a single demon is impressive as is, but an entire species destroyed was mesmerizing. It had pushed her to speed up her search. Now all she had to do was wait for him to come home,

AJ felt him draw nearer before she even saw him. A slight tingling shot through her body that had nothing to do with the cold. Turning her head to her right she took in her first glance at the awe inspiring Jake Greyman, and was oddly disappointed. He looked like a normal human male. Average height and general build. She had expected a brute. An overpowering mass of a man, his incapacity for feeling sympathy readily apparent on his visage. He was too… too… handsome. His weather lined face was still terribly appealing. The lean muscles only too visible through his black sweater and dark jeans. Dirty blonde hair stood up on short spikey points on the top of his head.

It wasn't until a few minutes into her observation, that she felt a semblance of relief. Jake was walking up the sidewalk withal the assurance of someone who knew their fate, each step filled with purpose and a determination to fulfill his goals. Not the upbeat pride of a man who enjoyed said fate, but a deep understanding of it none the less. Even from far away, she could see the exhaustion etched into his rugged features. As he made his way to his home, she watched his stride with an intriguing curiosity. Though not the type of man she had expected, she was pleased with the possibilities he presented.

Never once bothering to look at her, he walked around her huddled body to the door to her left, the hem of his black coat brushing against her legs. As he fitted a key into the key hole he spoke gruffly, "What do you want kid?"

AJ shifted to face him, still clutching her knees tight to her front. "I was hoping you could help me."

He turned his head to face her. Her breath stalled in her throat as a pair of piercing blue eyes stole their way into her own hazel peepers. "Did Cardinal White send you?" Her jaw moved up and down as she fought to locate her voice that she had lost under the intensity of his stare. Failing miserably in her endeavor, she shook her head slowly. Jake paused for a moment, looking her over.

"I don't have time or energy to baby sit," he said firmly. "Go home." Not even waiting for her reply, he disappeared through the door and slammed it shut behind him. AJ blinked as the echo of the rejection washed over her, morphing her shock into anger. How dare he slam the door in her face? Sure technically she had searched for him because he was supposed to be heartless, but throw her a freaking bone. She wasn't a kid who needed an adult to hold her hand as she crossed the street. He had no right to dismiss her with such accusations. So much for her help.

AJ sighed heavily, and rubbed her palms together vigorously, trying to obtain some feeling back in her digits. A whirlwind of thoughts stormed through her head. What was she going to do now? Where would she go? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the prostitute lean forward to converse with a man in a fairly decent looking Prius. She watched with a bitterly amused expression as the pair proceeded to start negotiations of the flesh. Arching to fully advertise her goods, the woman made an odd profile. Her frighteningly thin body seemed to twist painfully as she laid on the salesman's tricks. Finally after a minute or two, she climbed into the small car, no doubt to go complete the transaction.

Turning away from the depraved sight, AJ tucked her face into the small cave she'd made with her arms and knees. She bit the inside of her cheek hard, to prevent the fountain of sobs building in her chest from bursting through her face. An agonizingly heavy exhaustion tore through her. She hadn't realized that she was so tired. The search for Jake had invigorated her. At least until he had given her the boot. Silently she screamed in her own head. Hadn't she been through enough? It wasn't her choice to be the thing that she was. It hadn't been her mother's choice either. Life had dealt the m both crap cards in this perpetual losing streak. In fact the only way her mother had managed to finally beat the house was to remove herself from the game entirely. She sniffed at the last memory of her mother: laying prone in her restraints, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey!" A voice snapped, jarring her from her daydream. She looked up to see Jake hovering over her, and looking very upset at the necessity of it. "I told you already. Go home!"

"Yea?" she snapped back. "Where is that?"

"Where is what?" his voice had a gravely edge to it in its frustration.

"Home," AJ answered, dragging herself to her feet. "Don't have one. I came to you, because I thought you could help me. If you can't that's fine but you can't kick me off a public sidewalk, prick." A lightning bolt of a smile flashed over her crumpled mass of a body. She might almost have been offended, or intrigued, had his assessment of her not appeared strictly mathematical.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asked quietly.

Snickering she motioned about her with a shivering hand. "I 'm eating right now. Can't you see the buffet? Pass the potatoes, will you?" The corner of his mouth twitched at her sarcastic mumblings. Reaching behind him, he tugged open the door.

"Come in."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Ugh. Taking forever sorry. Thank you for all those who have read/reviewed/and may follow my story. It is really appreciated. Life (internship, classes, family, cycling the same bug throughout the house) is kicking my hind end. I will try to get these out sooner. Not to mention make it longer. And better. I have the story played out entirely in my head. I promise. It is a matter of finding time. Hope y'all enjoy. **AN**

AJ gritted her teeth in frustration as the annoying pair of wooden slivers slipped from her grip once more. Setting the streaming carton on the table, she fished the pair sticks from her lap and set them carefully in her hand. She tucked her head down, bringing the irritating utensils to her line of sight. Pincering the two sticks in between her thumb and index finger, she stabbed them into the cartoon and scraped a small scoop of rice up the side of the container. Hot sticky clumps slipped back to join the rest of its brethren that happened to avoid previous blundered scoops. By the time the two wooden points reached the top, only a single grain remained at its desired post.

"Dammit," she muttered at her mishap. Over the paper flap of the cartoon she spied Jake's raised eyebrow as he watched her stumble over the food. Glaring at his amusement, she dropped the irritating chopsticks onto the table and stuffed her hand into the carton. Her stomach grumbled angrily as she stuffed handfuls into her awaiting mouth. Her insides clenched at the introduction of food. It was so used to being starved of any nourishment that the slightest bit was immediately met with suspicion.

"Careful," Jake said taking another swig of his beer. "You don't wanna have it come it back up."

"I don't care," AJ answered, giving him a lovely eyeful of mashed rice in her open mouth. "At least I got to taste it."

"Hmm," he set the bottle down and rose from the table. Focused on her food, she paid little attention to him as he walked behind her.

AJ jumped as a flash of silver dropped in front of her. It clattered unceremoniously in surprise, tucking the carton of rice against her chest, like some starved stray dog that would viciously protect its garbage scraps from any competitors. Settling smugly next to an old brown stain was a dulled looking fork. Tilting her head to the side, she glanced up at Jake's hovering form. Embarrassed by her pitiful reaction, she mumbled her thanks and picked up the utensil. With the addition of one of mankind's more basic tools, her consumption of the rice moved much more smoothly.

"So why are you here?"

Pulling the pronged metal from her mouth, AJ chewed slowly on her current mouthful, giving her some extra time to form a response. She took a deep breath through her nose, letting t fill her lungs to their capacity. It wasn't something she was enthusiastic about saying. The words had become stuck in her throat. Forcing herself to expel out the overly generous breath, she slipped in her response with the exhalation.

"I need you to kill a demon."

He nodded slowly, unfazed by the request as he dropped a hand to his knee and flexed the muscle along his arm. She watched the knotted cords stretch and pull under the tight skin of his arm. Mouth running surprisingly dry, AJ dragged her eyes away from the display and took a quick swig from the soda can before her.

"Who is it? his tone sounded particularly tired as he posed the only really necessary question in his line of work. She dropped her slightly in search of her voice that had mysteriously burrowed its way into the pit of her gut.

"Me," she said softly. AJ didn't see his reaction, but from the distinct change in the air, she could feel him stiffen at the answer.

"You're a demon," he repeated, his voice gaining a hardened edge.

"Technically half," she murmured, dropping her carton on the table signaling the abrupt loss of her appetite. "But half or whole, doesn't make much of a difference, right?" AJ turned her eyes up to lock gazes with her potential executioner. Jake's crackling blue eyes searched hers. A painful sting scoured the corners of her eyes. Sniffing, she quickly turned away from the unspoken interrogation. She ran a hand quickly under her eyes, blaming the tears on the dust. Yeah, that was it. Dust.

A vicious scrapping sound tore through the the flat. AJ looked back to see an empty chair pushed back from the table. Furrowing her brow in confusion, she twisted in her chair to seek out her host. A warm hand caught her shoulder midway into her turn, spinning her the rest of the way and slamming her backwards onto the table. Breath knocked from her chest, she winced as her head bounced roughly off the wood beneath her. Blinking away the unruly stars mocking her pain, she stared up into Jake's tight jawed face hovering above her with a blade poised above her chest. She gasped instinctively, the subconscious will to live fighting tooth and nail against her death wish. Peering along the length of the blade held aloft in his hand, she took in the shinning metal hilt forming a cross in his grasp.

A stray ray of sunlight streamed through a small gap in the curtain, glinting of the steel. She squinted as every breath shifted the knife just enough to have the light blinking in her face. Turning her gaze from the instrument of her permanent peace, she locked eyes with Jake. She hoped, as she slowly drifted into a teal tinted daze, that he could feel her gratitude even though she could not voice it. AJ felt her eyelids grow heavy as her subconscious urged her to go close her eyes to the scene. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, trying to squeeze in as much of life as possible. She flinched when she felt the point of the blade pierce through her jacket and scrape her skin. From behind her tightly clamped lids, she could see her mother, sitting motionless in the wheel chair.

_Her stringy wheat colored hair hung in a matted curtain over her face. She had been facing the window, watching the light April showers tap against the glass. Were it not for the slow rise and fall of her chest, AJ would have thought her dead. Her dry pale lips stood half parted, while strands of fluttering locks wavered in her breath. Over her shoulder, the social worker spoke in a quiet voice to the nurse in charge of her mother's care. As they shuffled different piles of paperwork between each other, she inched closer to the living shell that was her mother._

_Nervously setting one foot in front of the other, AJ brought herself as close to her mother's side as she dared. A stale smell radiated from her, masked only by the very faint scent of soap._

_"Mom," AJ whispered. A soft wheezing noise sounded from her mother. Reaching out a small hand, she moved to touch her mother's shoulder. The second her palm came in contact with the emaciated shoulder in front of her, life shocked back into her. Her jaw dropped, splitting the cracked skin of her lips in several places to. Blood trickling down her yellow teeth, her mother emitted a howling shriek. Her eyes peeled back, turning from the glossed over hazel to a bright orbs of a ghostly white._

A small tear squeezed through the corner of her eye, leaving a wet trail from her eye to her ear. She felt Jake pause above her, the knife, however, no less firm above her heart. A rough knuckle brushed along the wet path of her insolent tear. AJ's eyes blinked open, presenting her with his unnervingly blue eyes, filled with pity.

"Well?" she croaked.

"Finish your rice," he answered softly, pulling himself off of her. She stayed splayed on the table, watching him out of her peripherals as he began making a phone call.

**AN:**I know. I know. They will get better. **AN**


End file.
